A LITTLE over a week ago, this column was full of praise for the doctors, nurses and auxiliary workers who work tirelessly to help patients in Worcestershire's hospitals.

But we also emphasised that unless there was proper investment in the National Health Service - and urgent reforms to the way it was run - then all the efforts in the world by staff might not be enough to save the NHS.

Today, we report the evidence from one of those front-line workers, a nurse who is so concerned about the pressure on beds in the acute psychiatric unit at the city's Newtown Hospital that she has chosen to speak out publicly.

She tells how there is "violent tension in the air, every day, every shift". And she goes on: "It's high stress every day, all day. I can't emphasise enough how bad it is".

Such a state of affairs - which evidence from all around the country shows is far from unique - cannot be allowed to continue.

Dr Ian McPherson, director of mental health, has told us that there have been detailed discussions about the need for better staffing levels.

Such comments emphasise how desperately the NHS needs to hang on to its dedicated workers - and recruit new staff - by offering them good wages and a decent working environment.

Only then will the NHS have a chance to deliver the quality of service we all deserve.